School of McIntire Carved Bellows
Watch
GUEST:
I inherited them from my grandmother, and I think she had them in her family, so I really don't know how old they are. And she thought they were French.
APPRAISER:
Is this something that you use?
GUEST:
Yes. I have used them, and now they are my granddaughter's.
APPRAISER:
And you've used them?
GUEST:
Yeah, I use them at Christmastime to help start the fire when it's crackling down.
APPRAISER:
That's great. Well, this is quite an interesting object, actually. It's got a very distinctive type of carving. And this points to a different origin than French.
GUEST:
Oh, really?
APPRAISER:
Yes. It's got a very distinctive vocabulary of motifs. And these would be related to an important Salem, Massachusetts carver named Samuel McIntire.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
And Samuel McIntire and his son were both carvers in the early first decade, let's say, of the 19th century in Salem, Mass. And Samuel McIntire carved fireplace mantles, other architectural elements, furniture, and both Samuel McIntire and his son Samuel Field McIntire were known to have carved bellows. There's a bill that exists for Samuel McIntire where he's billing someone, let's say...I don't remember the exact amount. Like, four dollars for carving a bellows. And this was a lot more than his bill for carving a table leg. So this was a pretty special object even then. What points to McIntire for me is, for instance, the basket of flowers. You see that very often in his work. You see that on fireplaces, on sofas. The tassel and swag, the line of flowers, and especially the punched background with the punch work, giving it that textured background. This is all hand done, and it's really quite a rare object, and very sought after today. It's worth between $15,000 and $20,000.
GUEST:
Oh, my God!
GUEST:
You're kidding.
GUEST:
Oh, my word.
APPRAISER:
So next Christmas...
GUEST:
You wouldn't kid me. I know you wouldn't kid me about it.
APPRAISER:
Next Christmas you'll be more careful.
GUEST:
Be very gentle with that bellows.
GUEST:
Oh, my word.
GUEST:
That's a lot of money.
GUEST:
Oh, my goodness.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
